Armed robbers steal Harvey Nichols gems

A gang of armed robbers that raided the Harvey Nichols department store in London in the early hours of Christmas Day was being hunted by police last night.

The three men, armed with handguns, broke in through a staff entrance and tied up a security guard before going to the jewellery department and stealing jewels believed to be worth tens of thousands of pounds. The guard was later taken to hospital to be treated for an asthma attack.

Store managers at Harvey Nichols were still trying to calculate the value of the stolen jewellery last night. The store will reopen tomorrow for the start of its new year sale.

The raid is the latest in a number of robberies at luxury London stores. Last month a gang stole gold and silver Rolex watches worth £55,000 from Selfridges in Oxford Street. In May, £1.5m of cash and jewels was stolen at Versace's store in Old Bond Street.

The Absolutely Fabulous comedy show gave Harvey Nichols cult status but earlier this year it reported declining sales figures, blaming the foot-and-mouth outbreak for keeping overseas tourists away.

The store was established as a linen shop in 1813 and moved to its current premises in the 1880s. It opened a second store in Leeds in 1996 and a third in Birmingham this year. Last year it opened its first foreign store, in Saudi Arabia.